FarmaKology Newsletter - Issue #55

Aug 18, 2020

Today's Startup

AI Therapeutics

AI Therapeutics was founded in 2013 as LAM Therapeutics with a mission to advance the clinical development of new therapies to treat Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) and other diseases. In 2018 we changed our name to AI Therapeutics. Working with a dedicated team of scientific, clinical, and drug development experts, AI Therapeutics is pioneering deep learning-based AI to outsmart cancer and rare diseases.

News

Oil-Dri Announces Issuance of Patent in Europe for Novel Technology Driving Antibiotic-Free Animal Protein Production

Oil-Dri Corporation of America , a leading manufacturer of sorbent minerals, parent company to Amlan International, announces that the European Patent Office has issued Patent EP 2906238. The patent covers the unique formulation of two existing mineral-based natural feed additives, Varium® for poultry and NeoPrime® for swine, that are helping global animal protein producers thrive in an era of antibiotic-free production.

Wits University begins its second Covid-19 vaccine trial in South Africa

NVX-CoV2373 is produced by the biotech company, Novavax . Novavax is a late-stage biotechnology company that develops next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases.Wits Professor of Vaccinology Shabir Madhi will lead the Novavax clinical trial in South Africa after having engaged personally with Novavax to motivate for clinical development of the vaccine to be undertaken in this country.

FDA Grants Priority Review to Fixed-Dose Durvalumab in NSCLC and Bladder Cancer

The FDA has accepted a Biologics License Application for a new 4-week fixed-dose regimen containing durvalumab (Imfinzi) and granted it Priority Review for the approved indications of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as bladder cancer. Durvalumab’s developer, AstraZeneca, announced this regulatory action in a press release, noting that the new dosing schedule could reduce medical visits by half.

CARMA Cell Therapies™ Expands Phase I Trial of Anti-Mesothelin mRNA CAR-PBMC Cell Therapy MCY-M11

MaxCyte, Inc., a global cell-based therapies and life sciences company, today announces the expansion of subsidiary CARMA Cell Therapies’ ongoing Phase I intraperitoneal delivery and dose-escalation trial of MCY-M11, its lead anti-mesothelin CAR-PBMC cell therapy candidate. The expansion will involve a new parallel cohort of patients and the initiation of two additional clinical sites.